Haunted
by Annibelle White
Summary: Two years after Fiyero's death, Elphaba wakes from another dream of being melted and finds a commotion outside. The Wizard has died. And then she finds the person who has haunted her for the past two years, alive. Can things still work? Pairing: Fiyeraba
1. Prologue: Not here

_As she felt herself dissolve, the scene began to change. She was in her old place, the abandoned corn exchange, the place she and Fiyero had slept together for so many nights during the three months before he died. Malky was on the bed. On the floor, there was a message written in what looked like green blood. _

NOT REALLY DEAD 

She woke then, shivering. It was hopeless. In the months after Fiyero's death, she'd tried to forget everything, but it only had her dreaming that he was still alive. If she'd just accept his death, perhaps the dreams would end. After all, she was twenty-five, it had been two years; he was gone. And she certainly would never end up in Kiamo Ko, being hunted by silly, frivolous creatures.

It had taken her more than enough time to find somewhere else to hide. Of course, now she wasn't really hiding, for she was on neither side. She couldn't function like that after everything. Besides, she had to take care of…

She cursed as a baby cried from the cradle on the other side of the room. The child was a nuisance. When she'd realized she was pregnant in the month after that nightmarish Lurlinemas Eve, she'd hated the child immediately. It wasn't fair and she knew that; but she needed no reminder of the lover with the blue diamonds tattooed to his skin, the lover that would never set foot in her life (or anyone's life, for that matter) again, no thanks to her.

Muttering to herself, she got up and lifted the baby into her arms, holding it to her breast. She didn't know why she even bothered to care for it. Maybe she did it because of her pathetic hope that Yero was still alive. Perhaps she thought that, somehow, by keeping the child alive, she was keeping him alive as well?

She missed him with such strength that it had changed her. In the beginning, she'd been so cold. But she'd gotten to love him more than she thought she could and it took his death to make her realize it. It was true, she thought, that one never appreciated the things they'd been blessed with until they were gone.

Sighing, she rocked the baby in her arms, the only living descendant of Fiyero, now. She'd read of the horrible plague that had killed most of the tribes out in the Vinkus, and she'd seen Sarima's name, along with three children. It had been a tragedy, but at least it hadn't been her fault.

There was a commotion outside. Noise filled the streets and she peeked outside. However, she had no idea what was going on. Some people were cheering and others were crying. Closing her cloak around her and the child, she stepped outside.

"Excuse me," she asked a passing stranger, "What's all the ruckus?"

"Haven't you heard? Devastating news. The Wizard is dead."

Elphaba blinked. "No, I… I hadn't heard. Thank you." She walked away and said under her breath, "Two years too late."

A voice behind her asked, "Two years too late for what, Fae-Fae?"

Ten minutes later she was in the same room she'd begun the day in and the baby was back in the cradle. "You can't be here."

"But I am here."

Blue diamonds blurred in and out of her vision as her mind struggled to comprehend the sight she was seeing. "It's not possible."

"It is possible."

"But how…?"

"I want to hear an explanation from you, first." He gestured towards the cradle.

Her green cheeks darkened and she looked away from him for the first time in the past ten minutes, almost sure he'd have disappeared when she looked to him again. He was still there. "Well, he… I… after you…"

"Is the child mine or not, Fae?"

She moved towards the bed and clutched the blanket in case the tears that threatened began to flow. Covering her face in her hands, she mumbled, "He's not yours. You're not Fiyero. You are not here."

Carefully, he took a step towards her. "Whether or not Fiyero is dead and is or is not here, is the child his?" He found it strange, talking about himself in third person.

"Yes." She backed away from him and sat on the bed. "Now leave. No, don't leave. You can't leave if you're not really here. Just… stop haunting me, please." Holding the blanket to the corner of her left eye, she turned away from him.

He wanted to grab her and shake her, make her believe he was there, but that wouldn't do him any good and he knew that. "I'm not dead, Elphie."

Still not looking at him, she said, "Believe me, I saw the mess and the blood."

"Then how are you talking to me right now?"

"I don't know. I'm dreaming. Maybe you're dead and don't realize it. Maybe this is some cruel joke. I don't know but please, stop this. It hurts too much to bear."

Quietly, he moved to the bed and sat down next to her, pulling her into his arms and helping her wipe away her tears. "But I am right here. Can't you feel me here?"

"Only because I want to."

"No." He tilted her chin up forcefully and looked her in the eyes. "I am here. I never died, Fae."

She shook her head violently. "Not here, not here, not here."

"Please, calm down."

But she couldn't calm down; she was shaking madly and repeated, "not here" a thousand times before falling asleep in his arms.

Gently, he laid her down on the bed and walked over to the cradle. The child didn't have deep, dark brown skin like his, but it was darker than any Munchkinlander's skin; darker than Nessa's skin, he recalled, which was surely what Elphaba's skin would have looked like had she not been green. Its skin was not green, and if it was, it was very subtle. "Sweet Oz," he murmured, "it is mine."

He'd never considered that she'd have gotten pregnant. Never once had he even given it a second thought until he had seen her with the child in her arms. All of this time, in his cell beneath the Palace, he'd thought about Elphaba, but a child hadn't crossed his mind. It was still a shock to him. How could he have ignored the possibility?

Cautiously, he picked the baby up and rocked it in his arms. The baby boy began to cry.

Elphaba woke up and shook her head, blinking many times before acknowledging anything. "I'm still dreaming. I have to still be dreaming." She said out loud. Taking the child from his arms but not recognizing his presence, she unbuttoned the top of her dress and breast-fed the child.

Fiyero watched this in awe. He saw the tantalizing skin he'd touched so many times before, the skin he'd yearned for during the past two years. As the child sucked at one of her breasts, the other hung loose and he had the sudden urge to caress it. Shaking his head, he scolded himself silently and said, "Elphaba, you've got to accept that I'm here."

She rolled her eyes and sat down. They sat in silence until the child was no longer hungry and began to grab at his mother's hair, cooing. Elphaba cooed back at the child and smiled at it softly. It was such a maternal action, so unlike the Elphaba he'd known, that he wondered if maybe _she_ wasn't there.

"Fae, please."

"No."

The child began to cry and Elphaba rose to put it back in the cradle. Fiyero grabbed her, "What's his name?"

"I haven't had the strength to name it. I haven't had the strength to do much of anything." She placed the child in his cradle and turned back to Fiyero. "Why do you insist on haunting me like this?"

"Listen, Fae, I still love you. Tell me you believe that."

"If you still loved me, you wouldn't be haunting and tormenting me like this. Do you have any idea how much I want to just…?" She trailed off and looked away.

"Fae, I'm alive." He slid his hands around her waist and gazed into her eyes.

She fought back tears. "You're not real. You're not here."

"Shhh. Don't." He kissed her on the mouth with more passion and sensuousness than he ever had. Losing control, she kissed him back, pushing him closer to her. She let him guide her to the bed and pull her down onto it. With quick hands he undid the rest of her dress and removed his own clothing. Having lost all restraint, he slid himself into her without hesitation and they sank beneath the blankets, oblivious to everything, rocking back and forth and loving one another for the first time all over again.

Lying next to him, her tears dry, she touched his hair, his body. He smiled at her and kissed her in various places. Her resolve weakened and she lay her head against his chest. Before falling asleep, she said, "Fine, maybe you are real. I give in. You _are _here."


	2. Chapter 1: Missed you

Author's Note: This is most definitely NOT going to be a one-shot. I like it too much.

She woke up later that night around dinnertime, finding that he was still next to her. Tentatively, she ran her hands along his arms. He was there. But how had he been alive all of this time? "Yero?"

He blinked and smiled at her. "Hey."

"What happened to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean: how are you still here? I thought you'd died. There was so much blood."

He sat up next to her and began his explanation. "I thought I was in for it, too. I don't remember when, but I woke up to find that, though very beaten and bruised, I was still alive."

She traced a scar across his abdomen. "I'm so sorry that you got hurt because of me."

"Shhh. I was in the prison infirmary. They kept me there until I was able to walk and then they threw me into a cell. Day after day, they demanded to know what was going on, who I was, who you were, what you'd been doing. I told them all I knew because I knew you were smart enough to never go back to the abandoned corn exchange. But the abandoned corn exchange was pretty much all I knew, and I couldn't give them any more information than that, no matter how they tortured me."

She shivered. "Tortured?"

"It's all right. It wasn't as bad as I'm sure you're thinking it was. After all, I'm still alive, aren't I?"

Kissing him desperately, she murmured, "Yes, yes you are."

He wrapped his arms around her. "I only got out last night, when a commotion erupted around the Palace, even in the cellar, which is where the prison was located, we could hear something going on."

"The Wizard's death?"

"Yes. Someone snuck in last night during some sort of festivity and shot the Wizard." He told her.

"But how'd you get out?"

"There was a huge group of people. The Gale Force was taken down, at the expense of a prisoner or two. When I got out of my cell, I left the Palace immediately. I had to find you, Fae."

"After all the pain you went through because of everything I was involved in, you still love me?"

"Yes. And _was_ involved in?"

"Was. I couldn't keep on with that after what happened. But, Fiyero, things aren't the same as when you were taken, not only with me, but your tribe, your family…"

"I know." He quieted her. "We were allowed to read the news, though not much else."

"I'm so sorry."

"Fae, I didn't much love my home, you know that."

She looked into his eyes and then hugged him, shuddering. "I thought you were gone. I thought you'd died. I thought I never see you again, Yero my hero."

"I know. It's all right now. I'm right here."

"Thank Oz…" She buried her face in his chest.

"I'm glad I found you." He whispered. "When did you know you were pregnant, Fae?"

"A month after I lost you. I was so scared. You were gone and I didn't want to have to think about you so much. I didn't want to be haunted."

"We should've been thinking about birth control. But right now, I'm glad we didn't. We have a son. He's part of you and he's part of me. I still can't get used to this."

She got up and pulled a robe around herself, still self-conscious. "I can't get used to you being alive." Silently, she picked up the child and kissed its forehead.

"You'll just have to get used to it. Because I'm staying with you." He gestured for her to come back to the bed and sit next to him.

The child still in her arms, she did as he wished. "He's sixteen months old now."

"He needs a name."

"I know."

Sliding an arm around her shoulder and looking at the child –_ his _child – he said, "Have you even thought about a name?"

She shook her head. "As terrible as it sounds, I've tried to pretend it wasn't there. It hurt too much to think of you. I only took care of it when it cried."

"I expect you'll be a little more nurturing now that you have no bad memories to be reminded of?"

"Yes."

"Can I hold him?"

She smiled and handed him the baby boy, "Yes."

"He's wonderful, Fae."

"Like his father," she said softly.

"And his mother."

"I love you." She said, not sure if she was talking to the child or its father. Quietly, she whispered, "Please don't leave me again."

"Aiden."

"What?" Elphaba looked at Fiyero, confused.

"His name. Aiden. What do you think?"

"It's perfect." She smiled. The child was still asleep and she placed him gently back in the cradle. "Sweet dreams, Aiden." Still smiling, she returned to Fiyero and let him touch her, keep her close.

"I'll never leave you again, Elphie. I never meant to leave you the first time." His words were soft in her ears, his lips brushing her neck.

She laid back in the bed, burying her face in the blanket for a moment, fighting tears. When she looked up at him again, she was blushing, or what passes for blushing, and her eyes traced his body, remembering every part of him the way it had been, how little things had changed.

He wanted to trace her body, too. But she'd never let him see her before and he doubted she would now. Still, he slid the blanket down from her body, waiting for her hands to reach for him and stop him. She didn't. There was a light still on near the bed and he could see every contour of her body perfectly.

"Yero my hero," she smiled weakly. He'd begun to move his way down her body with his hands and she only locked her eyes on his. "It's all right. Do what you want now. I should have never pushed you away."

Instinctively, he almost stopped himself at her ribs, but he continued, willing his hands further. She gasped and tossed her head back, letting him explore her wherever he desired with his hands. For the second time that day and the second time in two years, they were only simple movements away from making love again.

"I've missed you," she whimpered.

"I've missed you, too." He kissed his way down her body, teasing her. He licked and searched hungrily until she arched her back, waiting for him. "I love you."

"I love you, too. I love you so much, Fiyero. You'll never know how much strength it took me to move on when I thought you'd been killed."

He began making love to her without anymore of a prelude. They forgot the blanket, forgot the lights and focused on the friction between their bodies.

As it neared early morning, they'd been sitting and talking for hours. Finally tired once more, she held onto him tightly, afraid to lose him. She sighed happily when he wrapped his arms around her just as tight, finally in love again.


	3. Chapter 2: Get A Job

They began a daily routine. Fiyero began to search for work and she took care of Aiden, finally being more of a mother to the boy. Neither of them had decided where they were planning on going, but they had one another and that was enough for both of them. Elphaba was more loving towards Fiyero, having learned to appreciate the things she could so easily lose. Of course, she could regress back into her old self every once in a while, but he loved her even then.

"Ugh. I hate mornings." Fiyero muttered, sitting up as the alarm clock rang shrilly in his ear. "What's the point in looking for work? I mean, can't we just go back to Kiamo Ko?"

"And clean up a bunch of old, rotting bodies and then live all on our own without anyone else within walking distance? I don't think so." Elphaba said, rolling over in the bed.

"But you've been making it perfectly fine with the odd jobs you've been doing."

"There's another mouth to feed now that you're here, Yero. And do you expect me to do all the work and to support you, my prince?"

"Why can't we just both do odd jobs and not have somewhere official to go?"

"Why don't you just find some sort of work with low hours? We can live off of very little and be perfectly happy."

"I know that."

"But, then again, Aiden… he needs to have a childhood; he needs to go to school. I am not letting him grow up illiterate. It's enough that the child doesn't look like most of the world, he will _not_ be an idiot." She kissed Fiyero and shoved him out of the bed.

"Fae!" He scrambled to his feet. "Fine, fine. But just you wait until you miss me so much that you can't stand being home and not working."

"Sure, Fiyero. I think looking after Aiden is work enough for me."

"Are you still technically in hiding?"

"Not now that the Wizard is gone."

"Then we should have a real life. We should live in a normal house in a normal town. But instead we live in this mess."

"We can't live normally, Fiyero. Not yet. But soon. And you can get a job and we can live happily ever after," she mocked.

"Well, it would be _happier_."

"And it will be. Just give it a little time. I'd like to see what sort of government takes over before I make any serious decision. I wouldn't want to live that nice, normal life and then have to go back into hiding."

"Normal? We're not…"

"What?"

"Nothing. Ignore that. I love you."

"And I love you. But you need to get some sort of work for money. That way, when it is time to live that life we keep talking about, we'll have something to start with."

"If I have to."

"Oh, don't you do that! You've grown up spoiled, and now you have to do some sort of work and you complain? Please, Fiyero, for me. And if not for me, for Aiden."

He stumbled to the dresser and pulled out his clothes. "Okay, I'm getting ready. Happy?"

"Yes." She got up and, out of his sight, dressed herself. Lifting Aiden from his cradle, she said, "I never thought I'd _live_ again, or love. When I thought you were gone, I almost gave up. I'll admit I lost it for a little while. I never realized how much I loved and needed you until I came home that night to find the blood…"

"Shhh. Why are we talking about this?"

"I just wanted you to know that I won't treat you that way anymore."

"You've proven that already, in less than a week." He hugged her. "Now, I'll go search for work. I should be home around noon or so."

"I'll have lunch ready."

She'd become so domestic that it almost scared him how unlike herself she acted. He loved the way she was now; there was still everything he'd loved about her before. Only now she wasn't cold and snippy. It was hard getting used to, but he liked it. "If I don't find anything, I might just stay home after lunch."

"Good. Aiden will be taking his nap then. We can have some alone time."

"Sounds fun. I'd better get going. Have a nice half day, baby."

"Don't call me that!" She snapped.

"What?"

"If you ever call me baby again, you won't be coming near this body for two weeks, you understand?"

He backed away. "Sorry." But he smiled. There was that old fierceness and fiery quality about her that he'd always loved. "Have a nice day, all right Elphie?"

"I'll see you later, Yero." She smiled at him.

"Bye." He headed onto the streets and watched her close the door behind him and stray into the depths of shadows inside.

The streets of the Emerald City had been changing since the Wizard's death. It was less grungy and broken down then it had been when he'd run into Elphaba two years ago. He wandered the streets for a good hour before finding a small shop with a sign in the window that said, "Hiring".

It was a sorcery store. He could tell that much when he walked inside. A large, balding man stood behind the counter. "Can I help you, sir?" The man asked.

"Yes. The sign outside said you were hiring?"

"I am indeed. Do you have any experience with sorcery?"

"Honestly, not much."

"Well, that's fine. The people who come in here normally know exactly the sort of thing they need, they just need to know if we have it. I live just upstairs and I'm getting tired of keeping the hours I keep. I'd still like to keep the shop open twenty-two hours a day because I've been told by many sorcerers that it's quite helpful to have a shop that's open so often where they can get what they need right away. My wife used to help, but now she's been dead a few months and the little boy who volunteered to help walked out last week. All I'd be asking would be maybe seven hours every day, in the mornings. From about ten until five. The hours are low and the pay is decent, though not great."

"That sounds perfect. Um, I'm really desperate for work right now, actually. Would you consider hiring me?"

"You'd have a few things to learn, but you look like you'd catch on fast. Do you really want to work here? It's not the nicest place…"

"Yes!"

"Consider yourself hired, then. Just fill out a few things." He handed Fiyero some forms, which he filled out quickly. "All right, then. I expect to see you here at ten o'clock on the dot tomorrow."

"Thank you so much, sir." Fiyero said gratefully. "Really. I really appreciate it."

"Don't thank me, just do your job right and that's enough for me. I'll see you tomorrow morning. Goodbye."

Fiyero left the shop excitedly, took note of its address and headed home to Elphaba.

"Fiyero?"

"Yeah, I'm back."

"Any luck?" She was in the kitchen area, spreading jam on bread and holding Aiden with her extra hand.

"Actually, yes." He took Aiden from her, sat down and bounced the boy on his knee. "There's a small sorcery story down on Ozma Street that's open twenty-two hours a day. The man who owns it can't seem to find anyone who'll take the job of handling it seven hours a day."

"I think I know the place you're talking about. What are your hours?"

"Ten to five."

"Sounds pretty good. So, I assume you'll be leaving after lunch today, then?"

"I don't start until tomorrow."

"Well then, good. An afternoon to ourselves. Come eat." She set food out on the small table. "I'll feed Aiden and put him in his cradle. I've already eaten."

Fiyero handed Aiden to Elphaba and sat down at the table, eating his sandwich within minutes. After making a second one and eating that just as quickly, he got up and went to Elphaba, who was staring out the window. He slid his arm around her waist and pulled her to him. "Fae."

She smiled at him "Yero my hero."

He kissed her and began unfastening her dress. "Come to bed."

"It's one in the afternoon." She raised her eyebrows.

"I don't care."

Tugging herself out of his grasp, she flopped onto the bed. "I love you."

Joining her eagerly, he finished what he'd meant to do and kissed her again. "I love you, too."


	4. Chapter 3: Scarves

One night after dinner, Elphaba caught Fiyero going through her old things that she'd stored on a shelf. "What in Oz are you doing, Fiyero?"

Rummaging through a box, he muttered, "Where is it?"

"What are you looking for?"

"Damn!" He banged a fist on the table. "It's not in here. I know you kept it. You had to keep it."

"Would you quiet down? You're going to wake Aiden!" Elphaba scolded.

Fiyero reached to the shelf and took down another box. "It's got to be in here."

Sighing, Elphaba moved towards the cradle to check on Aiden. The little boy was sleeping soundly. "Thank Oz for small miracles," she mumbled.

"Aha!" Fiyero exclaimed from across the room.

"What?"

He was holding the old piece of glass that Turtle Heart had spun once upon a time. "I remember this from the corn exchange… It always seemed magical to me. I've been meaning to ask what it is."

Elphaba walked over to him, reached into the box and pulled out a traditional Vinkus silk scarf. "Talk about magical."

He laughed and grinned foolishly. Taking the scarf from her, he tied it around her waist and pulled her towards him. "I remember this…"

"No, no, not now." Elphaba teased. "What was it you were looking at?"

He held the mirror up again. "Look."

She took it from him and stared into the glass. After a moment, the image began to change and move. There she was, in the light, exposed, and Fiyero was standing next to her, cupping oil in his palms. "Do you remember…?"

"Yes, I do. Why is it showing that particular scene? Why is it showing anything but a reflection?"

"Your second question is one I can't answer. But as for why it's showing that particular scene…" Elphaba walked over to the crib and stared down at Aiden. She whispered the child's name and placed the glass next to him in the crib and the scene in the mirror began all over again. Picking the glass back up, she said, "As odd as this may sound, I think it's showing the morning that Aiden was conceived."

He raised his eyebrows but said nothing and went back to delving through the box. One after another, he pulled out Vinkus scarves and such.

Elphaba looked at him and shook her head. "Is that all you can think about?"

"Is what all I can think about?"

Twirling one of the scarves around, she replied, "sex."

"No. I was just remembering."

Suggestively, Elphaba, still holding a scarf, grabbed Fiyero's hand and pulled him to the bed. "You can do more than remember, Yero my hero."

Removing her dress and tying the scarf around her waist, he said, "It's always fun to relive memories, isn't it?"

Giggling, she kissed him. "It is."

Later, when Elphaba had fallen asleep peacefully next to him, Fiyero lay awake, staring at her sleeping form in the darkness. Yawning, he got up and stretched, walking to the cradle. Aiden was awake. The boy was silent, his eyes open wide, but he was awake. He picked the boy up and sat down at a chair by the window, rocking the baby back and forth. Fiyero didn't feel like he'd ever properly introduced himself into the child's life. But how does one do that? "Hey, Aiden. I know I wasn't here for the first sixteen months of your life, but I'm here now and I promise I'm going to be a better father."

He laughed at himself and sighed. "That sounded pathetic."

Elphaba sat up in the bed, not being a very sound sleeper. "Fiyero?"

"Over here."

"Oh, good. I thought for a moment… that I'd dreamed you were here… and you really weren't…" She shivered.

Fiyero looked down at Aiden, whose eyes had closed. He put the baby back in the cradle and got into bed. Gently, he took Elphaba into his arms and whispered, "No, I'm here. And I love you."

Her smile was worth every word. "I love you, too."

"And I'm not going anywhere. Except tomorrow night." Out of pure spontaneity, he asked, "Do you want to go _out_ for dinner tomorrow night?"

"I haven't been past that sidewalk in months."

"Well, it's about time, then."

"What about Aiden?"

"If I have it worked out, will you go?"

"Do I have any other choice?"

"You always have a choice, Fae."

"I know. But I'll do whatever you want. And don't even think about it that way."

"What way?"

"Very funny."

"So, it's a date, then?"

"If you can find someone who I would trust taking care of Aiden, then yes."

"The Ozian diner, right after I get off of work."

"All right."

"Wear something nice."

"You're kidding me, right?" Elphaba looked at him suspiciously.

"Nope."

"What are you up to?"

"Nothing, Fae-Fae."

She gave him a look that told him she did not believe him at all and then nuzzled her head against his chest to go back to sleep. They slept soundly and Fiyero left for work the next morning while Elphaba was still asleep. "Yero?"

He'd left her a note reminding her where she was to meet him later that night. Sighing, she began her morning routine.

When she met him at the Ozian diner, she was wearing a black sparkling dress that, he had to admit, fit her form tantalizingly. Smiling at him, she let him take her hand. "So, why am I here?"

"Because I wanted you to be." He told her. When they were shown to the table, he pulled out her chair for her and pushed it in once she'd sat down. Sitting down himself, he said, "Hungry?"

"A little." Looking over the menu, she tapped her gloved fingers lazily on the table top. The waiter came and they ordered and Fiyero was staring at her again. "What?"

"You're beautiful." He said quietly.

Her cheeks reddened and she played with her hands. "Say what you will."

"I mean it."

She only smiled lightly and changed the subject. "How was work?"

"Fine."

After a few more minutes of idle chatter, their dinner came and they ate in silence. Fiyero ordered dessert, though he wouldn't tell her what he'd ordered, and they were silent once again while they waited. Dessert was chocolate cake with blue sprinkles on top. She laughed. "Nice."

"I'm not done yet." He grinned mischievously.

"Oh?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Elphie," he whispered softly, "things have changed. We can be together and neither of us has to hide anything. I don't have anything special or fancy planned for this, but I'm asking anyway. Will you marry me?"

Her eyes were bright and she leaned across the table and kissed him. "Yes."


	5. Chapter 4: Glinda

The next week, it was announced who was to be the new ruler of Oz. When the announcement reached their ears, it startled both Elphaba and Fiyero, who least expected it to be…

"Glinda of the Arduennas?" Elphaba read aloud from the morning paper.

"What?"

"You heard me. Read it."

Fiyero grabbed the paper from her and scanned it eagerly. "We have to see her."

"I know that. But what are we supposed to do: knock on the Palace doors, say, 'we're old friends of Glinda, let us in'?"

"We have to reach her. She's missed you, Elphie."

"What do you know?"

"I know what she told me. Back in the days at the corn exchange, I ran into her once."

"You ran into her and didn't tell me?" Elphaba was livid.

"Well, I didn't think it would be best to tell you. You tried so hard to keep us all away."

She sighed, unable to argue with his reasoning. "Well, that doesn't matter now."

"She probably thinks I'm dead. She probably assumes I went back to the Vinkus and got that plague and died." Fiyero laughed. "Then again, she did almost know about us."

"What do you mean?"

"As much as I tried to hide it…"

"You never were a good liar, Yero my hero."

"I resent that."

"Continue with your story."

"Oh, yes. She had some sort of inkling of what was going on. She knew I was having an affair, though I denied it."

"She's good."

"She said it was because my wife wasn't with me but I looked so happy."

Elphaba blushed at this. "Were you?"

"Happy? With you? Of course."

She smiled and put breakfast on the table. "Finish talking and eat, my hero."

"And then I accidentally spilled about the oils."

"You WHAT?"

"Don't get mad. I think I covered for myself quite well."

"That's what you think. But we both know you're pretty obvious."

"Well, Glinda was speculating about how you kept so clean and it just came out. I backed up and said that's what elderly people in the Vinkus used, but I don't think she believed me."

"Probably because she didn't, knowing how little talent you have for hiding things."

"Anyway, when I was about to leave, she said to me, 'If you should see her, tell her I miss her still.'"

Elphaba almost began to cry at that moment. "She said that? And you didn't tell me?"

"I told you, you didn't want anyone in your life. You barely even wanted me around."

"Oh, I wanted you. Believe me, I wanted you."

He grinned. "Still want me?"

"Not _now_! You have to go to work!"

"In an hour. We have time."

"Very funny."

"Well, we should try and contact her, as I was saying."

"How?"

"You should write to her."

Elphaba thought about this for a moment. "How many letters do you think the Palace gets on any given day?"

"We'll just have to make this one extra-noticeable."

"I'd go the opposite way. If it's noticeable, they'll find it suspicious."

"Who is 'they'?"

"I don't know. But they'll be checking her mail. She can't read a million letters a day! I mean, hell, she can barely read!"

"That was cruel."

"That was true." She retorted.

"We'll put it in a plain envelope in plain handwriting. The only thing that'll be any different from the hundreds of letters she gets a day will be what's written inside."

"She might never read it."

"We'll have to take that chance."

"But…"

"But nothing. It's either that or doing nothing. At least this way there's a chance she'll read it."

"True."

_Dearest Glinda,_

_Before I say anything else, allow me to apologize for not contacting you in these past seven years._

_I'm sure now that you're starting to take a guess at whom the writer of this letter is. In fact, knowing how impatient you are, you've probably already checked the return address and the signature. So I guess you've already caught me. Elphaba._

_You're probably asking yourself and this inanimate letter a ton of questions right about now, and I shall do my best to answer them._

_I cannot tell you what I've been doing these past seven years, or at least five of those seven. These past two, I have been grieving the man I loved, or so I thought. But he is alive and well. And here comes another surprise. Well, perhaps not a surprise, to you. For the past six months, I've been living with Fiyero, our old chum from Shiz. Remember him? I know you do. You ran into him two years ago, if he recalls correctly. _

_We've been lovers for a while now. Since the age of twenty-three, to be exact. We have a son._

_Maybe it's wrong of me to tell you all of this at once. You're probably sitting there with your mouth hanging open, drooling, right about now._

_I'm sorry. Perhaps it's better if we have this discussion in person, don't you think?_

_Please write back. I know you must be angry with both Fiyero and me. With Fiyero for not revealing his relationship with me two years ago, and with me for never letting you know where I was or what I was doing. But I'm writing now, is that enough?_

_I hope to hear from you soon._

_Your old friend,_

_Elphaba Thropp_

Glinda of the Arduennas sighed as she opened yet another letter. Would this be another letter praising her beauty? Would that dreadful Boq ever stop soliciting her attention? Would her subjects ever stop suggesting not-so-subtly better ways to govern her people?

Her eyes scanned the letter wearily. Immediately, she knew this was unlike the previous four letters she'd opened that day. Quickly, she turned over the paper and looked at the signature. She gasped. "Elphie?"

**AN: For anyone reading my other stories, they're updated, too! This is for a merry Christmas! And a happy new year. And by the way, I've even got a whole new story!**


	6. Chapter 5: Dreadfully Forgetful

Glinda immediately sent an invitation for Elphaba and Fiyero to dine at the Palace the next week. Elphaba wrote back and accepted, seeming nonplused. Secretly, the two friends were excited to reunite with one another.

Fiyero held Elphaba's hand as she brought her other arm up to raise the knocker on the door. He noticed she was shivering. "It's going to be fine."

"I know that." Elphaba said harshly, resenting Fiyero for noticing her unease. "Of course it's going to be fine."

A servant answered the door. "Miss Thropp and her guest, I assume?"

Fiyero disliked being referred to as Elphaba's guest, but decided he'd take it up with Glinda later. Elphaba nodded and eyed the decorations as they were escorted inside. "Well, the place has changed since the Wizard was in residence, it seems."

"It's very…" Fiyero searched for a word.

"Peppy." Finished Elphaba. "It certainly has been redecorated."

"I wouldn't know. I was only in the prison."

The servant who was leading them shot Fiyero a glance with raised eyebrows but said nothing. Elphaba threw Fiyero a glare, as well.

"Well, I was just saying…"

"Dearie, shut up." Elphaba put her hand over Fiyero's, who had long since dropped hers.

They were seated in a fine dining room, the cushions velvet and the floor carpeted with what Elphaba was sure had to be the finest carpet in Oz. The servant took their coats and Fiyero waited until Elphaba was seated to sit down, to her chagrin. Glinda didn't enter for another ten minutes. "Elphie!"

Elphaba stood and Glinda hugged her. She stood somewhat staunch in the hug, unable to adapt her body to hug her dear friend back. "Glinda, it's so good to see you."

"Give me a better hug than that, will you? You can't tell me you act like that towards him." Glinda gestured towards Fiyero, who she kissed on the cheek and hugged as well.

Elphaba turned several shades darker and looked down at herself. "Well, that's different. Fiyero and I don't exactly hug like old friends."

"No more, no more. Sit down!" Glinda bounced excitedly.

They all sat back down and Elphaba asked, "How have you been?"

"Dreadfully bored until I heard from you. I can't believe you're alive and well, both of you. And Fiyero, shame on you for never telling me!"

Fiyero shrugged. "She'd have killed me."

"He gave it away, anyway," Glinda told Elphaba.

"I figured as much. Even he figured as much." Elphaba said.

"I knew you were having an affair, honest to Oz, I did!" Glinda exclaimed.

"It's not an affair anymore, seeing as I have no family to speak of nowadays." Commented Fiyero.

Everyone was silent and then Glinda said, "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"I don't have a straight answer to that." Fiyero admitted. "But it's good for Elphaba and I. We're getting…"

"Shhh!" Elphaba snapped, hitting Fiyero. "I wanted to tell her!"

Glinda perked up. "What am I not being told?"

"Well," Elphaba smiled, "We're getting married."

"Oh, really? That's so cute."

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Cute? We're twenty-five, Glinda. I think we're past tje stage where anything we do is 'cute'."

"When's the big day?"

"We don't know yet. We've only been planning on it fora few weeks now." Interjected Fiyero.

"Well, all the same, that's sweet. And you said something in you letter about a child?"

Elphaba looked at her lap. "We have a son."

"Since when?"

"Since almost two years ago. His name is Aiden."

"You two didn't waste time, did you?"

"We weren't planning on having children, actually." Said Fiyero. "Especially since I was married and had three children of my own two years ago."

Glinda raised her eyebrows. "So it was sort of an 'oops'?"

"You could say that. Fiyero didn't even know about him until several months ago."

"How...?"

"This is so complicated." Elphaba sighed.

Fiyero put a hand over hers. "I was in prison."

"What did you do?" Glinda asked, nosy.

"_He _didn't do anything. It was me. Your wonderful predecessor, the Wizard, and I never agreed when it came to politics, don't you remember, Glinda?"

Glinda nodded slowly. "I believe so."

"Fiyero got arrested for being associated with me." Elphaba explained. "Because I attempted to murder Madame Morrible."

"But..."

"But damn that woman, she's still alive. I know." Elphaba said, frustrated. "They caught Fiyero, and not me. I thought he was dead."

"But, hey," Fiyero joked, "What a surprise! I'm not."

"We noticed." Glinda and Elphaba said in unison. They looked at each other and laughed.

Elphaba sighed again. "Oh, Glinda, you have no idea how good it is to see you again, really."

"I have some idea. It's the same feeling about seeing you two again, though more you than Fiyero, no offense."

"None taken." Fiyero held up his hands.

"Believe me, I was glad enough to see _him_ again for the both of us."

"I'm sure you were." Glinda giggled.

"I didn't mean..."

"I know what you meant. Elphie, you were always so easily set off."

"I was not!"

"Were too!"

Fiyero stepped in. "Ladies!"

"Sorry." They said.

"Now, Glinda," began Fiyero, "what's been going on with you."

"So much!" Glinda exclaimed. To Fiyero, she said, "Chuffrey will be down in a moment, by the way. I hope you two get along. And Elphie," she turned to Elphaba, "I'm dreadfully forgetful. Did I mention I'm married?"

**AN: I hope I got this interaction in character. I think I captured Glinda well, perhaps not Elphie. Anyway, WICKED fans, come join my forum (for those of you who read my other stuff, you've heard this rant before), if we can get all the WICKED fans, we can have a huge community. The links in my profiles. Thankgoodness welcomes you!**


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